Products that include images are a popular keepsake or gift for many people. Such products typically include a picture taken by an individual that is inserted into a product intended to enhance the product, the presentation of the image, or to provide storage for the image. Examples of such products include picture albums, photo-collages, posters, picture calendars, picture mugs, picture ornaments, picture mouse pads, and picture post cards.
Images can also be combined with other images, for example templates including background images and one or more image openings into which an individual's image can be inserted, either mechanically or electronically with a computer, to form a combined image that displays the individual's image in a pleasing or preferred manner. These image products can be provided in hard-copy form, for example as a printed photo-book, or in electronic form presented by a computer, for example in an on-line album. Imaging products can also include multi-media products, especially when in electronic form, that, for example, can include motion image sequences or audio tracks.
Users who make image-based products usually desire to share the products with others. Such sharing can take the form of printed products or electronic versions of the products, for example by displaying the products on a computer screen. Obviously, some image products are not readily amenable to an electronic experience, for example image-enhanced mugs or mouse pads are best enjoyed as physical products, while other image products can be enjoyed electronically, for example photobooks, greeting cards, and photo-collages.
Photo-collages provide a means for presenting a larger number of images in a limited space by emphasizing the most important portions of the images and providing an interesting, artistic, or amusing image presentation. A photo-collage as known in the prior art is illustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, a photo-collage 10 includes a plurality of images 11. The textured patterns within the illustrated borders represent separate images. At least one image overlaps another image 11 so that the visible portion of the overlapped image 11 is cropped. Some images can have portions that are apparently hidden behind other images. Other images 11A can be apparently in front of the other images, but cropped. Other images can be completely visible and not cropped.
Photo-collages have been traditionally made by physically cutting up printed photographs and adhering them to a surface and by physically overlapping one printed photograph over another. When reproduced, a photo-collage takes on the appearance of FIG. 2. The advent of “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” representative graphic user interfaces and electronic image processing software on computers has enabled the design and layout of electronic photo-collages. Such software enables a user to specify and arrange a number of images in a collage. Images can be located over other images to obscure portions of the image and can be moved forward and backward with other images in a virtual stack by arranging objects using commands such as “Bring to Front” or “Send to Back”. These photo-collages can be rendered as a single, large image and printed, emailed, or viewed electronically. However, image products such as photo-collages that can be enjoyed electronically, for example with a computer, can have a limited experience and do not always take advantage of all of the capabilities of the computer. Moreover, in order for a user to view the obscured portions of images in a photo-collage, the original electronic image processing software must be available to the user and the user must specifically re-arrange the photo-collage elements. There is a need therefore, for an improved method for interacting on a computer with image products.